Castillo Oscuro

Situated in a more hilly and mountainous region of Hueco Mundo lies the residence of the Sexta Espada, nestled solidly on a cliff overlooking a large part of the never-ending desert of night. The building itself was a large castle-like structure, complete with varying sizes of medieval looking towers and balconies lining some of the bigger parts of the building. Standing one of these ledges, some of the other Espada's buildings were just ever so visible to the naked eye.

The castle-type building's interior is set up like one would expect, with a large entrance hall and many stairways and passages leading to all corners of the castle, all lined with rooms and storage spaces and what not. In the middle of the whole inner structure was a small outside garden, illuminated by the everlasting moonlight of Hueco Mundo. This acts as an intersection to the main areas of the Castle. Said areas were places like the Library, which housed rows upon rows of books over many levels, and the Dining Hall, where guests were entertained. Of course, those are just two examples of what lie inside the Espada's fortress.

At times, an organ being played can be heard throughout most of the Castle. When he could, Xavos liked to let off his anger or frustration by playing music.

(Here's a good picture to get the idea of how it looks, little dark though.)

Ever polite, the tall arrancar who led the Espada knocked on the front door of the castle. It had a fancy name that she knew, but she preferred to just refer to it as Castle or some form of. Her bells jingled as she lowered her arm after that knock, preferring to wait for someone to come instead of repeatedly banging until someone heard.

Tweaking her nose, she set off more bells from the chain that attached to her mask. What had brought her here now? She honestly wasn't sure, but it was probably wanderlust of some sort. The Sexta's domain was in easy walking distance and she had felt like using her legs.

Merely a few seconds after Saraiyu's knock, the sound of large metal doorways opening could be heard as a silver-ish white haired Arrancar appeared at the entrance to his domain. Immediately recognizing the woman who had made herself known as the Corona and his "boss", Xavos bowed his head in a polite manner. He wasn't sure if he fully trusted the woman, but he would at least show respect to his superior.

"Corona." The Sexta remarked as he lifted up his head to look at her once again. "What brings you to my residence?"

"So formal. No offer to let me in and rest my weary feet? I did walk the whole way." Brushing some sand off her her robe, Saraiyu turned up to look at the rather.. wearying Sexta. It wasn't a formal occasion or anything, there was no need for such actions. Her bells jingled more in a gust that came from the height, blowing her robe and hair around.

She gave an exasperated sigh, moving her robe back into place and her hair back into some sort of normal state. "I came over for tea with my Sexta, isn't that obvious?"

"Ah, my mistake. Please come in." Xavos replied as he thought to himself for a moment as the sound of the Corona's bells jingled. Tea? Surely she had something more important in mind than to just idle away time sipping tea with him...well, he would see, the Sexta supposed. He stepped to the side so she could enter properly.

"As for my formality, you are my superior after all." He remarked with a small chuckle. For Xavos, it was hard to tell when Saraiyu was joking or not. His straight-forward personality didn't help him in these instances.

"You do have tea yes? Coffee would be acceptable. As would those little cookies you have with tea or coffee when a visitor comes calling." Saraiyu was messing slightly with Xavos, but it wasn't like she would turn down anything like that if he DID have them. It was a castle. It should have tea sets and cookies for visitors. Someone had put this idea in her mind and it would be hard to get it out of there now that she was sure it should happen.

She strode past Xavos and into his house with a polite nod before turning to examine the surroundings. Rather liking to look around and snoop at such places, while comparing them to her own, she glanced around before letting out another sigh. Waving her hand dismissively at the arrancar, her lips turned down into a small frown. "I am not calling on you formally, nor is this important business. It is a social call, treat me as any such visitor for now."

...Did he have those things? He probably did, well, he assumed he did. Xavos had sent some of his Arrancar minions out to the human world recently to gather supplies and what not...he hoped they remembered tea or coffee at least. As he watched the tall woman stride into his castle, he noticed her looking about before she had spoke towards him again.

"Well, then I am being polite, I suppose." The Sexta replied with a small smile as he turned slightly to look towards a few of the aforementioned minions and pointed towards the kitchen with a jerk of his head, signaling them to go prepare food and drink for the important visitor. Looking back, he extended one of his hands towards the main area.

"There are tables in the Garden area if you would prefer to sit by more natural light, but our destination is of your choosing." He remarked in a casual manner. She was the guest, after all. It would be rude to push her about, not to mention he didn't want to get on the woman's bad side regardless.

"Polite is fine I guess." It would have to do, Saraiyu was his boss and not a friend. It wasn't like she fostered friendships in the first place. Mutual arrangements? Yes. Working relationships? Yes. But friendships? Eeeh.

Still she was fine if he wanted to be less formal on such occasions. Though to be fair to him, how could he know when she wanted less formal or more formal? What if he pissed her off when she wanted formal and he was being playful? Conversely, to be rather fair to her... Did Xavos even have a playful bone in his body? Saraiyu mused on such things, her mind able to process that, Xavos's words and the area around them as she kept looking. "The garden sounds nice. Hueco Mundo's eternal night is perfect for tea and cookies."

Following the arm, she moved forward towards the area he pointed to. A finger went up to her lips as she mused outloud while she walked. "I think it is at least. Have you ever had a tea party outside? I haven't. Thousands of years and still not that, how odd."

"I don't get many visitors, so I haven't had any parties of that sort, but at times I do like to sit out here and enjoy a cup of...whatever I have available I guess." The Sexta replied with a slight laugh as he followed her towards the Garden area in the middle of the "main" part of the castle. It was impossible to miss anyway.

As the two Espada arrived there, Xavos walked over and pulled out a seat for the Corona to sit first.

"My subordinates should arrive soon with the food and drink. I must admit though, Corona; I am surprised that you would want to talk to me over the others. Surely they are more interesting than I." The Sexta replied with another small laugh.

"A tea party of one? How lonesome. Do you not have servants to force to drink with you?" Sarai was slightly bewildered. Why be alone if you didn't have to be? Wasn't it annoyingly bothersome? Still, she took in the sights of the castle, though she did let out a small sound at the sight of the garden. Rather pretty. She preferred her baths, but this was pretty enough.

Holding her robe so it wouldn't bunch up when she sat, the Corona's bell jingled as she took the offered chair. So polite, this one is. She kept an eye on Xavos, not out of mistrust, but wishing to see his reactions properly. Her mouth had a bit of a smirk on it as she crossed her legs. "Why are you less interesting than others? Please, enlighten me. Is it I should be more interested in them than you? But why? What makes them better? What if I have already talked to them?"

"But before that, thank you for tea in such a lovely garden. I do appreciate it."

"Of course." Xavos replied in a respectful manner as he acknowledged her appreciation. Walking over to the other side of the table, he got a little comfortable as he sat down opposite the Corona, leaning back and placing one of his feet on the opposite knee in a crossed manner, aka the man-sit. The Sexta noticed the Corona's smirk, and let out a small chuckle as he folded his arms casually.

"Well, as you can probably tell, I am not that complicated of a person, by my own admission. The others surely live more exciting lives. As the leader of the Exequias in your name, I must stay vigilant." He spoke, before grinning a tiny bit, which was unusual for the Espada.

"I'm afraid I'll also answer part of your questions with one of my own. What about you, Corona? What is it that made you spend time with me and not the others?"

"You'd think killing things would qualify as exciting. Staying vigilant keeps you busy I would assume, which could also be exciting. Its nice to have such hard workers doing things for me, though so I am not complaining. I suppose that makes you complicated, because I don't know truly why you follow me. You are loyal, but why? I suppose that answers your question. I went for a walk, decided to visit an Espada I don't understand as well, and ended up here." Uncrossing her legs, Sarai leaned forward onto the table. It was her favorite position when she was sitting, her arms on the table in front of her as her head rested in her hands.

Pulling on the chain running from her nose to her ear, she played lightly with the bells that made very small chimes. "It is odd, such a polite and formal one being drawn to here. I know my faults and my personality. I can be moody and turn on a dime. It can't be that easy to appease one so much more...emotional."

Despite her words, her tone was calm and even, still smirking at the smiling espada opposite her.

As she spoke, the Espada quietly listened. It was true what she said. Since becoming an Espada he hadn't had much interaction with the Corona on a level beyond doing his duty. As she shifted her position on the table, one of his servants appeared from one of the hallways nearby holding a tray with a teapot, some cups, and some of those cookies that always seemed to accompany them. He briefly looked over and nodded as to tell them to come over and set the refreshments down, which they quickly began doing in front of the two Espada.

"Indeed, I find you are a hard person to predict, Madame Corona." Xavos spoke with a bit of a chuckle. "If I were not loyal to you, then who would I be loyal to? I believe everybody has an unescapable loyalty to themselves and their own desires, but is it so far-fetched that one can also serve a higher purpose?" He asked his Leader as the sound of tea being poured into cups for the two of them could be heard. "You are strong, and you have proven your strength by eliminating those who came before us. As such, you are a worthy individual to follow." The Sexta finished, unfolding his arms to reach out and take his cup of tea, sipping it lightly.

"You see, I told you, I am not that complicated." He laughed.

Delicious refreshments. Saraiyu watched the arrancar, her eyes glancing from them to the items they laid out while she waited. She was rather hungry and thirsty, deserts weren't ones for either. As the last of the items were arranged and the servants started pouring tea, she tried to wait patiently but ended up thinking on his words instead.

The Corona sat up, fixing her hair again and reached over. Grabbing a cup, she stole a few cookies first and chewed them as she thought about her words. He was interesting.

"You are simplifying something very complex in nature." She put a few sugars into the tea before trying it, knowing she'd need sweetener this time. Looking over her cup at Xavos, one eyebrow quirked up. "I'd say that makes you more complex than it doesn't, just following a worthy individual without too many questions."

"Besides, you weren't there when I took over. How do you know how I did and acted? I could have had someone else do the grunt work and sabotaged them, thus taking over not by honorable means.... Don't you wish to ask questions and figure out if I am worthy up close?" She smiled and chuckled lightly, setting the cup down to open her arms. "You are what I needed, but am I the leader you need?"

"Well..." Xavos paused to take another sip out of his cup as he watched Saraiyu nibble on the cookies. "If you were not worthy enough to lead the Espada, our organization would have crumbled by now, don't you agree?" The Sexta asked the Corona. Part of his tone was in a joking manner, but he was also serious in a sense as well.

"Even if you had acted dishonorably, I do not believe you should be punished for the actions of the past. As creatures, as Hollows, we live and act in the moment. We cannot afford to dwell in the dealings of the past. This is how we evolve and get stronger. I am sure you out of all of us can understand where I am coming from." He paused again, taking one more sip before placing the cup down on the table for a moment.

"Since I have been part of your Espada, you haven't done anything that I would disagree with. If you do, I shall voice my opinion, since you seem to want to hear it so much from a person like myself." He grinned a little bit, waiting to see how she reacted. Conversing with the Corona was a bit more interesting than reading a book, which he would probably be doing if she had not visited.

Picking up her cup, Sarai took another drink before more cookies. She was rather hungry, the walk had taken a while and she hadn't cheated at all during the trip. How long had it taken her? Who knew, the desert was always dark and night filled. She had her smirk back, though it wasn't a large one. Just slightly playful. He was rather uptight... she had to have SOME fun. "You compliment me so much. Anyone would feel flattered by all these lovely words Xavos. Do you flirt with everyone like this?"

"I appreciate how honest you are, and I do truly understand. The monster I was even a century ago is not the one I am now. If we stopped moving on, we'd be no better than the Shinigami." Still, she would be honest with him even if she did tease a bit. Her smirk faded into a more genuine smile. The corona didn't want him to take this the wrong way or think she was being playful with her next words.

"I always need opinions, though I don't always take them well. They are useful when used at the right time and place. Like for instance now. I am being open and not angry, in fact I am attempting to be friendly and foster better relations. Or at least learn a bit more about others. Do you have any fascinating stories of your past?"

"Flirting? I wouldn't dare with my own boss." Xavos let out a hearty chuckle at Saraiyu's words. She was teasing him, and he knew it. He took another sip to finish out the first cup of tea as he listened to her following words, placing the cup down on the table and pouring himself a new one.

"Unfortunately, I do not. The memory of my past is a mental fog. I hope that someday it will come to me." The Sexta remarked. "All I know for sure is that I have always been good at taking a life. Perhaps I was a warrior or an assassin in my past life, hard to say I suppose." He paused to take a sip of the new cup.

"Then again, maybe it is for the best that it stays hidden for me."

"Bah, I am just teasing. You aren't the flirting type, which is why it was a ridiculous statement." At least he was loosened up a bit now, so Saraiyu felt she could talk with him. She was trying to be more...friendly and open with them at least. Getting to know their wishes and wants would help her in the long run... Maybe make them ore loyal if she was seen actually caring?

"If you would believe it, I think I was a priestess. I remember sacrificing to gods that don't exist here, and years of research led me to believe it was long enough ago it doesn't matter." She needed more tea as well and cookies. Sarai was still hungry even now and could possibly end up eating all the cookies. A clink of a spoon sounded as she added sugar once again. "I do appreciate your unique skills, Xavos. If you do remember, I would love to hear about stories... I have too many to remember, thousands of years will do that to you."

Dipping a cookie in the tea, she bit a piece off and made a small sound. "Hm, why do you feel it would be bad? Were you some sort of...monster? Or do you think you'd go soft."

"Well, it is more along the lines that the parts of my past I can't remember doesn't really affect how I live my life today." Xavos replied in a straight-forward manner towards the Corona's questions. He finally snatched one of the little biscuit cookies, having at least one before Saraiyu ate them all. Even though eating food and drinking refreshments didn't do much for Hollows in the first place, it was nice to do so, especially with company.

"Perhaps I was even a serial killer as a human, or worse. Regardless, it doesn't change how I conduct myself now. You know, back to our discussion about Hollows and all." Xavos remarked, a crunch of the biscuit in his hands following his words. "Tell me, would such a vile previous life change your perception of me? What if I was one of those crazed murderers that only preyed on women?" He asked with a bit of a grin. He was teasing her back now.

"I suppose by some standards I am a woman too... Could you mean to prey on me then, if you were and get those memories back?" Sarai gave a derisive laugh, finishing her cookies. She liked feelings of hunger or want, they helped drive her actions or wishes, so food for her was always a must. Still, she should be honest with him. "Why would I even care? Prey on women now. You do your job and don't cause me headaches, so what you do in your free time is up to you."

Leaving the tea and cookies alone for a second, she leaned back on the chair while switching her crossed leg. Arms under her chest, she teased a bell dangling from a chain. "You've more than likely been a hollow longer than a human by decades at least, it would be rather ridiculous of you to hold such attachment to a human past long gone."

"Curiosity is fine, but it pleases me to not have to worry about a sentimental person still dwelling on the things they lost as the one dealing with traitors." She smiled, an honest smile, nodding as she continued. "You are skilled, a shame to waste it on such... stupid issues."

"I didn't think you would." He chuckled in response to her answer, eating the rest of the biscuit and sipping it down with some more tea afterwards. The Sexta listened to the Corona's words, pleased that she shared the same sort of view on the matter. His human life was of no consequence, all that mattered to him now was performing his duties adequately and not being a burden on the Espada.

"I appreciate your words Corona, but I am only the Sexta after all. The others above me are more skilled than I." Xavos remarked, before donning a teasing sort of smirk. "Perhaps more curious than myself though."

"Not as many are as discreet and some are overzealous, though they still work well. Quiet and gets the job done with no questions asked, while also being impeccable in it." Saraiyu waved a hand at Xavos' modesty. "Skill isn't power."

Still, she had to give a small laugh at his teasing remark. For now she was done with the tea and food, whatever hunger she had vanishing. "So very modest and yet slightly snarky. I really do wonder about you, but I can be patient."

"That veneer of humility and loyalty. If you followed another, I would want to crack it and see what lay deep down, if that really was your core." Bluntly speaking her mind, she waited for Xavos reaction. He followed her, not blindly but was loyal. She would never do anything to him unless it was warranted, but if he had been a shinigami or another he would be the one she would try to bother.

Breaking the normal silence of the realm, the Garganta that had previously been opened in the Human Realm revealed itself just outside of the Sexta's domain in Hueco Mundo, the Black Castle. It was a fairly decent place to enter the world of the Hollows, for it was in a mountainous area and one could see much of the eternal desert and the other areas of the Espada just from the cliffs outside. Not to mention, it looked nice in the moonlight!

At any rate, out of the portal stepped Xavos, who took a few steps onto the ground and turned around, waiting for his new friend Phaedra to arrive. He began to think how she would react to the change in scenery, a small smile on his face as he laughed a bit to himself. She would either be amazed or terrified, he thought.

Fay came through the garganta, stumbling for a moment on the rock before catching her footing, turning to look back at the hallway she'd just come through. She gave a small short laugh. Huh. So that's how that worked huh? It seemed... so much simpler now...It was like being taught... well, how to walk. How had she not known how to do this already?

She turned around, stopping short from walking into Xavos and got a good look at the surrounding desert. "Woah...." She walked around him, staring out at the seemingly endless sands. "Jeez.. It just... keeps going... I've seen deserts but..... Seriously... wow..." She looked back to Xavos. "Is it... Is the whole thing sand?"

"In a sense." The Espada replied, entertaining her curiosity again. It was enjoyable in an odd way. He felt like a sensei dispensing knowledge upon his pupil.

"Each Espada has their own domain here, this castle we are outside of right now is my own." He paused, outstretching a hand towards the building. "Aside from that, there are small colonies of Hollows that have banded together, and areas like the Forest of Menos, but yes, mostly desert." He laughed. To be honest, he had half expected Phaedra to accuse him of taking her to his villainous lair or something similar.

"You'll also notice the energy in the air is much denser than in the Human Realm. It allows our kind to exist even if we cannot find food to devour. Of course, as Arrancar, we've evolved past that stage."